D. from “Joe Felso: Ruminations” wrote an entertaining post on the strengths great writers need. (Entertaining because he started the post with some history of how memes came about and what they are, and along the way he managed to mention one of the so-called world’s sexiest men alive: Richard Dawson of Family Feud fame!)
At the end of the post, D. (aka Joe Felso) tagged us at red Ravine to list our five greatest strengths as writers (or the strengths we think great writers should possess).
Before QuoinMonkey and I divulge our respective lists, we wanted to take this opportunity to belatedly acknowledge bloggers who tagged us this past summer, not with memes but with awards:
- D. of Joe Felso gave us the Thinking Blogger Award.
- neath from Walking Turcot Yards bestowed the Creative Blogger Award.
- Ombudsben most recently called us a Blogging Star.
Our apologies for taking so long to acknowledge the awards and to thank all three of you for honoring us this way. Each of you inspires us, makes us think, and provides the kind of community we hoped to find through blogging.
Part of the reason we took so long to “accept” these awards was because we struggled with the customary passing-of-the-torch to other bloggers. There are many superb blogs; in part we feared excluding some when what we’re trying to do is build community.
In the end we landed on the notion that the way we esteem other bloggers is by adding them to our Blogroll, which we update every couple of months, and by regularly reading and commenting on their blogs.
That doesn’t mean we don’t love receiving awards. We do! And it doesn’t mean we don’t want to participate in memes. We enjoy that, too, although it usually takes us a while to pull together a joint response.
Toward that end, here are our respective five greatest strengths as writers:
QuoinMonkey’s Five
- Perseverence — Even though I sometimes feel like it, I don’t give up. I’m in it for the long haul.
- Sensuality — I write from the details of the senses. I can’t help it; I’m a Cancer. I want the whole package. I want to taste, touch, smell, hear, think, feel, and see. I want it all.
- Curiosity — I’ve always been naturally curious about everything. I am NEVER bored. I love learning. I ask a lot of questions. It drives my friends and lovers (and now my partner) crazy. But I see this as a most valuable trait for a writer.
- Slowness & Deliberation — I am slowmoving and deliberate in most everything I do. I take my time. I am thorough and detailed. I don’t give up until something is done and done well. These qualities are also my greatest weaknesses. Isn’t that just life?
- Gratitude — I am extremely grateful for everything around me that supports my life and my writing. Friends, family, partner, old lovers, teachers, mentors, bloggers, other artists and writers. I sense them around me every day. This feeling that I am supported keeps me going. And I want to give it back to other writers. I think #5 circles around to feed #1. And the cycle continues.
ybonesy’s Five
- Honesty — I write what I feel and what I believe. I don’t divulge everything, but once I decide to divulge something, I take it as far as I can.
- Curiosity — Me and QM, two curious cats.
- Reverence & Irreverence — I am superficial almost as much as I am deep.
- Story-telling — My friends tell me I know how to tell a good story. I’m not sure that translates into writing a good story, but I suspect it does.
- Drugs. Just kidding. Voice. — I don’t know if it’s true, but I believe I have my own voice. I know when I fall into it, and I know when I don’t.
Many of our fellow bloggers have already listed their writing strengths, but if you haven’t or if you don’t have a blog on which to list yours, we’d love to hear what YOUR top five writing strengths are. And if you don’t write or you don’t want to talk about yourselves, go the “Joe Felso” route and list the strengths you believe great writers possess.
Finally, your list! Whew. I have been waiting and checking frequently.
QM – the curiosity, sensuality and gratitude pervade your writing and commentary. And without the perseverence, slowness and deliberation, there would be no such thoughtful and insightful writing for us to read.
Ybonesy – I feel strong writing comes from conviction and honesty. That is when a conversation between writer and reader can come about. Do you think it possible for a writer to construct and invent a point of view which he/she may not necessarily espouse? Or do you feel everyone’s writing is self-revelatory?
I find the reverence/irreverence characteristic useful to list. many a truth has been said in jest, depth of perception can be construed in spoofs, or else why is there so much good humour written for so long?
Drugs? Well, whatever you are taking, I want me some! G
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Bless your heart, G! I know you did the five writerly strengths (link) versus listing strengths you have as a writer. You got some that would have made my Top Five list had I not written about myself, number one of which is, On guard against self-indulgence. Egads. That’s a tough one, and I’m pretty sure I cross that line way too much.
Let’s see, is it possible for a writer to invent a point of view he/she may not necessarily espouse? Probably so. Good writers of fiction invent characters of different race, gender, nationality from their own. And they achieve authenticity. In my genre of writing, which is creative non-fiction, it would be hard to do so. If I’m tapping first thoughts, writing from the heart and not the mind, then how could I genuinely write from the viewpoint of something I don’t believe in? I’m a balanced person, a true Gemini, and so I think I could try to write from a place of understanding, but I would have to tell my truth about what I think of the other.
How about you? Do you think it’s possible?
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Ybonesy – you are right, in creative non-fiction it is only possible to write from a point of truth. And yes, you so rightly pose that writers of fiction invent characters, maybe I’ll go out on a limb here, even inhabit them with much force of their imagination based on information they have gleaned from a variety of sources. The truly great ones create persons of both genders from a whole cloth, believable, engaging. That is one thing that i so admire in great writers, also their ability to make me care about the people and their circumstances and experience vicarious emotions when reading about them. G
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So true! In fact, great writers have so many strengths, I’d have a hard time limiting my list to five. And I’d have a hard time understanding what exactly makes them great. Sometimes it seems the writers I love are opposites — one has language that is ornate, another austere. And I love the language of both.
But yes, whether I’m reading a novel or a memoir, I’m hooked the minute I start to care. What is that quality called?
You know, I have to say, I’ve never intellectually assessed great writers. I’ve only read them, and unfortunately, not as many as I’d have liked.
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You do so much here to inspire writing. Maybe I’ll come up with a meme for the most inspirational blogs of the moment. Or has that been done? If not, you’re top on my list.
Quoinmonkey, did you ever post a Letting Go writing practice? I went looking for it but didn’t find it.
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Even in this post, your two voices are so distinctive, and yet, both so engaging. I think your lists really reflect your personalities… I’m glad you posted them separately and together the way that you did. Well done.
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QM was out for most the afternoon and evening, mariacristina, so here is the link to her Letting Go practice:
I’ll think you’ll agree that her strengths shine in this powerful practice of hers.
Oh, and I do think there are awards of all types for blogs, which we discovered when we looked into the awards we’d received. I think it was the person who originated the Creative Blogger Award that also had a host of others. You can do a search on “blog awards” and find relevant info.
BUT, what I really want to say is, you *should* start your own award. Many other bloggers do that. Something you value or that you/your blog embody. Compassionate Blogger Award, perhaps? That’s one of several that I think of when I reflect on your blog.
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Thanks, pmousse. I also thought it would be interesting to see what we felt were one another’s strengths, or what we felt were top strengths for great writers. It’s fun to combine our lists and bounce things off one another.
But I also wanted to say that when I saw QM’s list, I nodded on all counts. For example, sensuality (writing with all senses engaged). I’ve come to believe that QM is embued with capacity to write in the vein of great writers from The South, even though QM wasn’t raised her entire life in that part of the U.S. Yet, when I read QM’s writing, I am often reminded of the rich, sensual language of so many Southern writers.
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I know, I’m talking like you’re not here, QM. Once you start a sentence that way, it’s kind of hard to convert back to having a conversation with the person you’re describing.
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YB – Now we know why the wild turkeys aren’t leaving. They found your yerba buena! You’re a hoot.
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They found a kindred spirit in me ; – ). Longing to be wild, yet glued to the patio chairs.
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Not a writer…so no strengths to be had there. I’m a reader, probably the average reader. I can’t tell you what a writer’s strengths are. I can only tell you what makes me enjoy someone’s work.
1. Must get my attention by page three. If there aren’t any sentences strung together by then, either something profound, enlightening, humorous, raw or suspenseful…I’m gone to the refrigerator…looking for snacks…and your publisher is probably your Mother.
2. Must take me from my life into their story…where I no longer exist. I am them or at least with them…peering over their shoulder. Most average reader’s sit and read a book to escape themselves…their bills…nosy people knocking on their front door or their Mother-in Law.
3. Must not use words that I need Merriam Webster to translate. At that point I’m me again…searching through drawers for another book…to find some meaning to a word that I’ve already forgotten…and at that point, In real danger of weight gain from another trip to the refrigerator.
4. Must be able to visualize what’s happening with my eyes still open. I’m very stimulated by beautiful, flowing descriptions. Memoirs of a Geisha comes to mind. Hard to put into words exactly. One of you writers, that’s good with words and has read this, translate for me…will ya?. Imagery? Whatever “it” is…when it’s really good, it makes me stay up all night to finish a book…and then sad when it’s over…walking the hallway with my bottom lip protruding.
5. I must take something away with me. A keepsake, a memory, a lesson. I read history, fantasy, mystery, plays…whatever. I can tell you about Napoleon…or Harry…The Tempest or Narnia for that matter. Each writer gave me something to reflect on…for days, weeks, even years later.
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Hi,
Wow, your posts uplifts always.
I can’t explain why that happens so, but I’m deeply convinced there is no need for that. Hi! came out of itself .
By the way, that was what I needed the most myself – Thank you.
I am writing too, but don’t know why I do that. That’s like the breathing – we breathe for to achieve lots of results, but it may be said otherwise too – we are breathing because we are alive – thus the painter paints and the writer writes, but is there any merit of us?
Sorry for these musing. They maybe sound needlessly. Because all I wanted to say indeed was my wholehearted ‘Hi!’
Thank you for you are and for we can communicate.
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What rich comments. I am moved by them. Sorry, I am just stepping in. I was offline last night. And this morning I woke up to a message from my brother that my mother is in the hospital. She’s okay at the moment, just having some tests done. We should know more as the day goes on. So please send good energy to Amelia!
I’ll reread the comments in a bit and respond. But first, some coffee and breakfast. 8)
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Oh dear. I will send positive thoughts her way and say a prayer for Amelia. Let her know we’re thinking of her.
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I would add courage. The courage to take a risk, when you are 7 minutes into a write and you’re going somewhere you didn’t expect and your head is screaming “help, help, I’m being pulled over the waterfall” and you keep going and there is that vein, those four or five words, that nugget that busted through.
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Franny, courage is a great one to add. I know that feeling, going somewhere I had not expected, not wanting to go there, and then, blam!, the write is up, you’re on the other side, kind of sitting there with what’s left on the page. It takes guts to keep writing through.
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G, thanks so much. And good question and back and forth between you and ybonesy about writing from points of view different than our own.
I’ve never written fiction, but the longer I write non-fiction, the more I want to. The writers I have talked to about switching from non-fiction to fiction have said that it is initially freeing – and then the work comes. Remaining authentic to their own voice, while at the same time inventing characters and storylines is a challenge over the long haul.
ybonesy, wasn’t it Rob who said in his interview that readers can sense when you aren’t writing from an authentic place? Do you think about applies to fiction, too?
There is a different feeling for me when I read fiction than non-fiction. But at the moment, I can’t explain it.
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mariacristina, thank you for all of your support. I can sure feel it. And thanks yb, for posting that link for me. And for your generosity in including me with writers from The South. A great compliment! It’s true, I’ve lived in different parts of the country but am sure rooted in The South where I spent most of my childhood.
It’s interesting to see the way you describe Southern writers. I remember you mentioning that before, about the sensual piece, when I was Down South in June. And I took particular notice of it because I was physically there among the giant magnolias and all the blooming humidity. I felt different there. Though it’s hard to put my finger on…I’ll keep pondering.
yb, you know what I liked about your list was the honesty and reverence/irreverence. You have a strong voice and the gift of being able to reveal hard, pointed truths with humor and grace. I call it an edge – but it’s more than that. There is compassion. It fits the kind of risk taking and courage that Franny talks about in her comment. I really admire that about your writing.
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QM: You can feel it when you are not writing from an authentic place in fiction. I am doing a lot of short story work right now. I just started a new short story and the point of view character is not someone at all like me. So I meditated, and then sat down and did 10 minutes of writing practice on who this person is. That write now sits out for reference as the short story unfolds. If the writing strays from who my character is, I will feel it. (I am having so much fun I can’t hardly stand it!)
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Heather, that’s a great list of qualities. I like the idea of taking something away with me. I look for that, too. I also want the person(s) I am reading about to come out of the book changed in some way. I look for transformation in any direction. I also like details and straightforward language. I admire writers who say a great deal in as few words as possible, something I’m not always able to do!
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Franny, that’s interesting…as I read your comment about your short story, I’m imagining how who *you* are as a person becomes combined with the fictional person’s voice. So is the fictional person really just a piece of us that we carry inside? In order to be authentic, do we have to tap that part of ourselves through the writing practice?
BTW, another friend of mine just started writing fiction. And she’s having a blast as well. It’s very motivating. How did you decide to begin writing short stories?
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Tomas, it’s true…writing is like breathing. I can’t not do it. And perhaps it’s true for all people and their passions, their callings. If they let themselves go where it takes them.
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pmousse, thank you. When we get tagged or have to do a post that talks about our combined efforts on red Ravine, it’s always a conversation we have – should we post together, separately, who writes the post? So far it has simply flowed from a pretty natural place for us. It’s good to get the feedback that the joint posts work!
And isn’t it amazing that you can learn so much about people’s personalities in the writing and art that they post? Though we never really know someone from their blog work, we can tell if they are writing from an authentic voice and whether we want to keep visiting their space. I’m fascinated by how much comes through without any physical attributes or connections whatsoever.
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Courage is definitely one of them. To face the blank paper (or computer screen), to push through (as you say), and to get it out there.
Franny, yay for you that you’re making time to write. Elizabeth from Fluent did a post on an NYT essay by Stephen King that came out last weekend titled “What Ails the Short Story.” Here’s the link to the essay:
And then here’s the link to another post on Fluent that points to the comments that came in in response to the essay:
http://fluent.typepad.com/fluent/2007/10/its-like-a-nati.html
You might be interested, Franny and anyone else who likes the art of short story writing.
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Another aspect of courage – getting your work and your point of view out to an audience, any audience. Risking rejection. Or criticism. Remember that Stephen King piece where he talks about when he first started writing, he’d take his rejection slips and push them over a nail above his writing desk – and keep on writing.
You can say you want to be a writer. You can write all you want. But if no one ever sees it, is it really taking you where you want to go? You have to believe you have something to say, something worth taking the risk for.
ybonesy, that’s that arrogance you often talk about. That there is an arrogance (read: different from self-centeredness or self-indulgence) about writing and making art that helps give us the courage to get our work out there. It’s like our own internal cheerleading squad.
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YB: I’m starting to understand this blogging business. Short stories—-well, I had never really read short stories until Cheever (good place to start) and then when we were reading essays, I picked up “Best Essays” and then “Best Short Stories” and then I realized that I have these wonderful gifts of stories from all the fascinating people that have to let me in to their lives (for those that don’t know me, I have been a criminal defense lawyer for 30 years). So I am taking an on-line short story class from Writers On Line Workshops (Writers Digest) which has assignments and there you have it, a deadline. I find short story to be a quick, deep, and dirty immersion in someone and I’m liking that. (Plus I got bored with the novel I’ve been writing for 10 years). Franny
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You both responded to the awards perfectly. I know you had some concerns about the whole awards thing, and this handled it well.
p.s. and your site is very deserving!
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Franny, those essays we read last year were great. I can see why you got interested in essays, then short stories. I’m glad you are taking a class. Can’t wait to read them. You’ve been writing a novel for 10 years?
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ben, thank you. I just read about your adventures in Minnesota. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. You made me hungry for the North Shore and Lake Superior. Liz and I are thinking maybe we’ll wait until January. 8)
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